


A Single Dog's Guide to Parenting

by ChillsofFire



Series: Gone to the Dogs [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Lady and the Tramp AU (sorta), They're all dogs, references to dog fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-05 20:15:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11020770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillsofFire/pseuds/ChillsofFire
Summary: Life is hard when you're living on the streets.It's even harder when you find yourself responsible for a half starved puppy.





	A Single Dog's Guide to Parenting

**Author's Note:**

> This just begged to be written, so I figured I'd get it out before continuing with my KenUri stuff!

** Being a Parent is a lot of responsibility; make sure you’re ready **

The den was silent. Unnervingly silent. Scary silent.

Deathly silent.

Kenny dropped the rabbit he was holding, letting it fall to the frozen ground.

The snow on his back went unnoticed, forgotten as he looked at the still form in front of him. He felt numb, and it had nothing to do with the frigid wind howling outside.

“Kuchel…”

There was no response. He didn’t expect there to be.

_I was gone for too long…_

Food was scarce in the winter, and Kuchel had already been slow and heavy from the pups growing inside her, weak from lack of food. She had insisted on fighting for her children’s lives. Kenny hadn’t been able to refuse her.

Giving birth had nearly killed her. She lost two pups in the process, one to the cold that same night, and two to starvation as her body proved unable to produce the milk they required.

Only one pup had remained.

Kuchel couldn’t hunt; all her strength was needed to care for her baby, to keep him warm and fed.

Kenny had been faced with the task of providing for all three of them. Lack of resources had forced him to venture further and further from their makeshift den, tracking small animals or searching for anything edible that had survived the weather. This last hunt had taken four days.

It had been three days too many.

Kenny slowly sat down, his ears lowering to lay flat against his head.

Two months. He had kept them all alive for two months. Had kept Kuchel and himself alive for two months before that. Wounded, and on the run, he had kept them going.

And it had all led to this.

To failure.

Kenny swallowed.

Kuchel was nothing but skin and bone; her hips and shoulder blades were painfully apparent, and Kenny could count every rib she had. She had slowly wasted away trying to feed her son.

_I probably don’t look much better…_

Every limb felt heavy, his bones turning to lead, blood running as cold as ice. Kenny felt so, so, tired…

The ground was hard under him as he dropped down, chin dropping to his paws. He hadn’t eaten in days, but the rabbit now sitting inches from his nose held no appeal to him. Not anymore.

Dull gray eyes slowly slid shut.

Cropped ears perked up at the thin whimper. It was quiet, weak, barely audible. For a moment Kenny thought he was hearing things.

His head shot up when he heard it again. In an instant he was on his feet, darting to Kuchel’s side.

A small, starving pup peered up at him, shivering against Kuchel’s cold belly.

Kenny almost didn’t believe it.

“Levi?”

“She’s dead…” Levi was trembling, and though his mother had gone cold long ago, he curled up tighter against her.

There was silence for a long moment. Outside the den, the wind began to subside. The world was still.

Kenny inhaled slowly.

Levi made a small sound when Kenny picked him up, jaws shutting gently around his scruff, but didn’t complain otherwise. Limbs curled close to his body, and he was still as Kenny turned toward the entrance to their den.

The rabbit was left on the ground. Kenny stepped over it without a second thought. He reached the opening, nose twitching as the wind played over his face. When he smelled no danger, he stepped back into the outside world.

There was more than one place to sleep.

Neither of them looked back.

 

** Keep Them Safe **

Kenny moved them to a town. He hadn’t really intended to, Levi could tell. He seemed more worried about the people inside it than the wild animals and lack of food in the forest.

Nevertheless, they soon found themselves in an old fox burrow, hidden in a small stretch of woods by the outskirts of the town. Levi didn’t like the scent, or the dark, tight space, but it was warm, and it was safe, and when Kenny left to find food the wind couldn’t reach him.

But Levi didn’t like to be left alone. So Kenny often took him with him to find food. Hunting turned to scavenging, and they soon took to rummaging through dumpsters and garbage bins for scraps.

It was safer than fighting with wild cats over squirrels and carrion.

Safer, but still dangerous.

They’d only been in town for a week.

Kenny had only been gone a few moments. Levi had been searching through a bin he’d already knocked over, but his nose had drawn him farther into the alley, around a corner, toward a dumpster that smelled of grease and meat.

Levi’s scream nearly made his heart stop.

Paper bags and empty cans exploded into the air as Kenny leapt from the dumpster. He landed six feet in front of it at a dead run, legs stretching out in front of him as far as they could. Levi was still squalling, his voice filled with terror and pain. Kenny skidded around the corner, his nails dragging harshly against the cement, and sprinted forward.

Levi was right where he’d left him, only now he wasn’t alone.

Another dog, big, burly, as tall as Kenny and chest built like a barrel, was on top of him, dwarfing the already tiny pup with his mass. His fur was thick and standing on end, his lips pulled back in an angry snarl. Two more dogs stood behind him, urging him on with rough barks that echoed through the alley, one small but sturdy, with an under bite and chewed up ears, the other of medium build, with spotted fur and ears up and alert, obviously enjoying himself. Levi screamed again. Kenny smelt blood.

His snarl echoed through the alley. All three dogs looked up at him.

Kenny barreled into the biggest dog without a second of hesitation, sending both of them to the ground with one startled yelp. He locked his jaws around the dog’s throat, growling loudly, only biting harder when he felt powerful feet kicking at his underbelly.

They rolled together for a moment, claws ripping into each other, until the dog beneath him managed to kick him off. Kenny retreated with a mouthful of fur, his fangs flecked with blood. He slid back, regaining his footing quickly, and snarled again.

The three others were waiting for him, spread out to block the entrance to the alley. Their teeth were bared, chests rumbling with low growls. Kenny snarled right back, legs stiff as he watched them; hackles raised, ears back, eyes glaring at them with murderous intent.

No words were spoken. Kenny watched them closely, waiting for one of them to make a move.

All three jumped at once.

Kenny ducked the big one with no problem, launching himself at the spotted one as he tried to tackle him from the side. They snapped at each other’s faces, their snarls deafening.

The smaller one jumped on Kenny’s back, latching on to his shoulder in an instant. Kenny growled and twisted his body around, using the smaller dog as a wrecking ball and slamming him into the spotted canine. Both dogs tumbled back with loud yelps, taking a strip of Kenny’s flesh with them.

There was no time for Kenny to check the injury. The larger dog was on his back in an instant, aiming to grab the back of his neck. Kenny ducked forward and jumped up against the dog’s chest, using his own momentum to send him sprawling over his shoulder. He fell into the overturned bin, tripping over it awkwardly and into the brick wall of the building next to them. Kenny followed after him, jumping onto him before he could regain his footing and locking his jaws around his front leg. Something crunched, the dog howled. Kenny shook his head hard, feeling the bones beneath the skin twist and shift. The howl turned into a scream, and the dog frantically tried to shake Kenny off of him, the fight quickly leaving him as Kenny only readjusted his grip.

A dog snarled from behind him. Kenny dropped the leg in his mouth and whirled around. The smaller dog realized his mistake the second Kenny’s mouth closed around his throat. He screeched in panic. Kenny bit down until he tasted blood, then all but threw the dog into his spotted companion. They went down together, the spotted one scrambling to his feet and running out of the alley in an instant, tail between his legs, yelping at the top of his lungs. The larger dog was right behind him, running on three legs as the forth hung uselessly.

Neither of them looked back at their smaller partner. They left him behind, gasping for air as he bled heavily, his neck torn open.

Kenny watched him squirm for only a moment before snorting and turning on stiff legs. His left shoulder throbbed, and the back of his neck felt sticky; with drool or blood he wasn’t sure. But he didn’t care. He found Levi in a cardboard box, curled into a tiny ball and trembling like a leaf. Blood was matting the fur on his leg, though the flow seemed to have stopped.

Levi was silent when Kenny lifted him by the scruff.

They paused for a moment, just long enough for Kenny to kick a bit of dirt at the pitifully whining dog on the ground, before making their way out of the alley.

Dinner would have to wait.

 

** Keep Them Fed **

Surprisingly, finding food in town was almost as hard as finding it in the forest.

The colder weather was causing many people to stick with soups and chowders; quick, hot meals that would chase away the chill. Very few scraps were left behind.

The choice in hunting ground was just as slim. The poorer portions of town had fewer scraps, and more scavengers. The richer portions often locked their bins at night, making them difficult to get into.

Kenny had gotten lucky at one house; the Border Collie, Uri, still left him in shock whenever he thought back to him. The steaks he had stolen for them had been large and thick, providing enough meat for fill Kenny for two days, and leaving Levi with several meals. Kenny ventured back a few times after that, and had found piles of scraps waiting for him in the bushes outside the house’s fence. Uri was seen in the front window once or twice, seemingly waiting to make sure Kenny found the food.

Though Kenny found himself strangely unwilling to leave that house and its strange canine inhabitant, he knew it wasn’t safe to linger for long, and soon he and Levi were back to the alleys, picking through whatever they could find.

After a month of picking through the city, as the weather slowly started to shift from winter to spring, their luck began to change.

Kenny began to learn the pattern of the trash pickups. Bins that were set out for pick up the next morning were left unlocked and unguarded, making them the perfect targets for hungry dogs.

On the business side of town, the duo found themselves suddenly befriended by several restaurants.

The owner of a pizza parlor, known as _Sina’s Slices_ , caught Kenny using the alley’s rat population to teach Levi how to hunt. Kenny had picked up Levi, ready to bolt at the first sign of something being thrown, only to pause when nothing happened. The human disappeared inside, and came out a moment later with half a sausage log in his hands. When they had returned a few nights later, a bucket of fresh water was waiting for them.

Down the street, a bar that smelled of smoked meat and alcohol rewarded Kenny handsomely after he unintentionally helped their bouncer throw out a violent drunk. Kenny wasn’t a fan of drunk humans, and after the man had taken a swing at the bouncer trying to herd him away from the door, Kenny had chased him off with deep barks and snapping teeth. Everyone inside had gotten a laugh, and by the end of the night Levi was so full of sandwich scraps and spare fries Kenny was afraid he was going to be sick.

One block over, the daughter of a high class restaurant owner fell in love with Levi. He allowed her to scratch his ears as long as she provided them with bread chunks and bowls of potato stew.

They returned to that restaurant quite often.

After a few weeks, Levi was finally starting to fill out. His eyes were clearer, the stormy gray color sharp and focused. His coat took on a light shine, and his bones became less and less obvious. He gained more energy, and started to protest when Kenny tried to scruff him. Kenny eventually let him start trotting along beside him, and pretended not to miss carrying the young pup around.

At the age of four months, Levi was finally starting to look healthy.

 

** Teach Them How to Survive Without You **

“Quit your squallin’.”

“That hurt!” Levi snapped up at his guardian, his half upright ears flopped back against the grass he was pinned on. “You’re too rough!”

“Fighting isn’t about bein’ gentle.” Kenny stepped off of him, allowing Levi to get back to his feet. Levi rolled on to his side with an angry huff.

“You said we were just practicing!”

“We are. Practice like you mean it. That’s how you learn.”

“You’re a lot bigger than me! I can’t fight against you!”

Kenny twitched his ear, “You think you’ll only ever fight dogs your size? There are a lot of dogs out there, you have to be prepared.”

“But I’ll get bigger,” Levi snapped, finally standing to shake himself off, “it will be easier then.”

Kenny tilted his head, looking over his nephew quietly. Levi had his mother’s eyes, Kenny’s eyes, and their same body shape. His fur was black and sleek, though a little thicker than Kenny’s was. His ears were neither floppy nor stuck upright, as they folded over in the middle. The only markings he had were the light spots over his eyebrows, and a circle of white around the bottom of his neck that spread in a small blaze down his chest. His paws were on the smaller side; they were already starting to look like Levi had grown into them.

Levi wasn’t going to get that much bigger, that much Kenny could tell.

“I’m not always going to be there to protect you,” Kenny took his stance again, “You have to learn to fight.”

Levi growled in annoyance, but dropped into his stance just the same.

 

** Help Them Make Friends **

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course I am. You need a chance to run around just like all the other runts.”

Levi huffed and nipped at Kenny’s leg, shifting where he sat. He and Kenny sat at the edge of a small patch of woods, watching as dogs of all ages ran across well-groomed grass, chasing balls and sticks and each other. Their humans were scattered over several benches, or stood with their dogs, watching as they enjoyed the early summer afternoon.

“What if they don’t like me?”

“Kick their asses.”

Levi looked up at him, “What if the humans don’t like me…?”

Kenny hesitated, eyes shifting over the various dog owners, his jaw clenching for a moment, “Run straight back to me if somethin’ happens. I’ll be right here.”

Levi nodded slowly, turning back to the park. He didn’t move.

“Look there,” Kenny nodded toward a group of three pups. A German Shepherd with fur a shade darker than Uri’s had been, an Irish Wolfhound, and a red and white Irish Setter were chasing each other in wide, clumsy circles, barking happily. The Wolfhound, already bigger than the other two, loped along on gangly legs, tongue lolling from his mouth. “They look about your age.”

“They look weird.”

“So do you. _Hey!”_ Kenny jumped as Levi nipped at him again, harder this time. He looked back down, meeting Levi’s glare. A low chuckle rumbled through his chest, “You scared?”

“No.” Levi snapped, facing forward quickly.

Kenny chuckled again and leaned down, licking up the back of Levi’s neck and ruffling the fur there. Levi yelped and ducked away from him, grumbling in irritation.

“Go on,” Kenny nudged him forward with his nose, “go have some fun.”

Levi hesitated before stepping forward, his ears pressed back. He glanced back at Kenny just before leaving the cover of the woods.

“I’ll be right here.”

He watched as Kenny laid down, getting comfortable on the ground, before turning forward again.

The grass was soft and thick under his paws when he stepped out of the trees, and he took a moment to enjoy the feeling of it before warily walking further into the park. Everything was so open, Levi felt exposed and vulnerable, even more so as he grew closer and closer to the humans. Kenny was always so careful to avoid humans, even acting cautious around those that sometimes fed them.

There were a few plastic ramps and play structures for the dogs to play on. Levi paused next to a large, hollow tube, big enough for an adult mastiff to run through, and watched the others tear across the earth.

The three dogs Kenny had pointed out to him were getting closer; the setter was nipping at the shepherd’s heels, yipping whenever the shepherd turned to nip back. The wolfhound seemed content to follow behind them.

He smelt Levi first.

Levi froze at the same time he did, nose twitching into the air. The shepherd, realizing his friend was no longer behind him, came to a stop, patting playfully at the setter to get his attention.

“Mike?”

The wolfhound, Mike, turned his head, looking directly at Levi.

Levi felt his hackles raise, his eyes widening a bit. He forced himself not to step back, refusing to show fear, even when the much larger pup trotted toward him. The shepherd followed, ears perked up in interest.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” the shepherd asked.

Levi stared at him, unsure how to answer.

“I’m Erwin,” the shepherd continued easily, “That’s Mike,” he nodded to the wolfhound, “and that’s Nile,” he looked at the setter sitting just behind him.

Levi stood up slowly, warily watching Mike as he moved forward, seemingly unbothered by the stiff way Levi held himself, “Levi.” He jumped a bit as Mike sniffed at his ears, lips twitching in a small snarl.

“Mike doesn’t talk a lot,” Erwin sat where he was, “But he’s friendly, don’t worry.”

“Right.” Levi couldn’t bring himself to relax. Mike eventually drew back, seemingly satisfied with what he’d discovered.

“You aren’t from around here, are you?” The setter, Nile, was watching Levi closely, his hackles raised slightly and ears slightly lowered. Unlike the other two, he didn’t seem so interested in making a new friend.

“I’m from…” Levi paused, unsure what to tell them, “across town…”

Erwin’s ears twitched, something flashed in his eyes, and Levi swore he saw his welcoming smile turn into a small grin for less than a second.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said happily, standing back up with his tail wagging behind him, “We were just playing, if you want to join us.”

“I’m…” Levi resisted the urge to glance back toward Kenny, knowing that drawing too much attention to him could cause trouble. He huffed slightly, “I’m fine. Just…enjoying the sun.”

Nile seemed satisfied with his answer, but Erwin looked like he was ready to protest.

Mike sniffed at Levi again before Erwin could say anything. A lazy grin stretching over his lips, “That’s fine. We like to wrestle and…you’re pretty small.”

Levi felt his hackles raise again, his ears pinning back against his head. A low growl escaped his clenched teeth, “So what?”

“We wouldn’t want to break you.” Mike stepped away from him, plopping down to scratch at his neck. Erwin flashed a secretive grin again. Nile huffed from behind him, clearly impatient to leave the strange newcomer behind.

Levi’s legs stiffened, his mind going back over everything Kenny had been teaching him. Kenny wanted him to be strong, to be tough. He wouldn’t let Kenny down.

“You’re on.”

Back in the forest, Kenny watched as the three pups approached Levi, staying relaxed but alert, ready to rush to his rescue if something went wrong. But Levi stood firm, and the shepherd seemed more than willing, almost eager, to play with him. Even the wolfhound seemed to be poking fun, and though the setter seemed less enthused, he was doing nothing to suggest he wanted to hurt anyone.

Kenny crossed his paws and watched as the group, now four pups strong, took off across the field.

A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

 

The sky was streaked with pinks and oranges when Levi came back to him, almost stumbling with exhaustion. His eyes were half closed and he was panting hard, little pink tongue hanging from his mouth as if it were trying to detach from his jaw. He made his way to Kenny’s side and flopped down, limbs sprawled in all directions, his nose pressed against Kenny’s chest.

Kenny chuckled, “Have fun?”

Levi made a small noise and wagged his tail weakly against the ground. His fur was stuck up in all directions, held in place by drool from where the others had mouthed at him. With a low hum of amusement, Kenny leaned down and began to clean his little nephew, dragging his tongue over his fur with firm but gentle strokes.

“Can we come back?” Levi asked after a few minutes, his breathing and heart rate returning to normal.

Kenny paused, his tongue pressed against Levi’s flank.

“Erwin said they come at least once a week,” Levi squirmed a little, pulling back so he could look up at Kenny, “maybe we could stop by?” he hesitated a moment before adding a soft, “Please?”

And he looked so hopeful, his ears forward, eyes wide and shining brightly, that Kenny couldn’t even fathom the idea of saying no.

“Sure, kid,” Kenny flicked his tongue over one of his ears, “sounds like a plan.”

 

** Life is Full of Hard Lessons **

“Why can’t we live with the humans?”

It wasn’t the words that surprised Kenny; he had expected that question to come up much sooner than it had. No, it wasn’t the words. It was the tone.

Levi, who was curled against Kenny’s stomach, his paws holding his tail down and out of his face and chin resting between them, eyes locked on the opening to their burrow so he could watch the rain that was falling in heavy sheets, sounded angry, and bitter.

Kenny lifted his head to look down at his nephew. Levi glanced at him from the corner of his eyes.

“It’s wet,” He said shortly, “and muddy, and it will get cold again too. Our food smells rotten sometimes. The dogs at the park live with humans. Why can’t we?”

“Trust me,” Kenny laid his head back down, “this is still better than livin’ with them.”

“I doubt it.” Levi huffed.

Kenny lowered his ears slightly, quiet for a moment.

“Humans aren’t always kind, Levi. They may look like it, but they’re not. They’re angry, bloodthirsty, and cruel.”

“How would you know?” Levi all but snapped.

“I wasn’t always a street dog.”

Kenny felt Levi shift, his head popping up to meet Kenny’s eyes, “You lived with humans?”

A low sigh was let out, and Kenny lifted his head again, turning to fully face his charge. “Yeah. For a bit.”

“Why’d you leave?”

There was a moment of hesitation, and then Kenny was shifting, pushing his chest up so he could sit over Levi. “Look at me, Levi. Take a good, hard look. What do you see?”

Levi sat up slowly, his eyes slowly drifting over Kenny’s body. His gaze became more focused around Kenny’s front legs, his chest, and around his muzzle. “Scars?”

“Know where I got ‘em?”

“From fighting with other dogs?”

“You’re half right.” Kenny shifted, trying not to remember the smell of blood and fear, the sounds of shouting humans and screaming dogs, “Like I said, humans can be cruel.”

Levi was silent. Kenny could practically hear his mind spinning, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

“You weren’t fighting over food…were you?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You were forced?”

“Yeah.”

“But…how?”

“I had a master. I was given orders.”

“But you never let anyone tell you what to do.”

Kenny tilted his head slightly, thinking. “Your friend…Erwin. He has a master, right?”

“Yeah…”

“And he always listens to him?”

Levi nodded, “Always.”

“He likes to make his master happy?”

“Yeah…”

“So if his master told him to hurt another dog, if biting someone would make his master happy, do you think he’d do it?”

Levi whined. His tail wrapped tighter around his legs and his ears fell back against his skull. He lowered his head miserably, “Maybe…” He swallowed and glanced back up at Kenny, eyes wandering over his scars again, “Are all those from dogs?”

Kenny shook his head slightly, “No.”

Levi swallowed again, “But…but not every human is like that! Right? You thought every dog would attack us, but that one dog helped us, and the others at the park… And those humans from the restaurants, they feed us! So some humans have to be good, right?”

“Maybe,” Kenny leaned down so he could be eye to eye with his nephew, “but just because they feed you doesn’t mean they’d always been good to you. I’ve been around a lot more mean humans than kind ones. We could go out lookin’ for one to live with, if you wanted. Maybe we’d get lucky and find a good one. But I’m supposed to keep you safe, and putting you with humans isn’t a risk I want to take if I don’t have to.”

Levi slowly met his gaze, his own eyes filled with confusion. Kenny nudged him with the tip of his nose.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to ya…”

Kenny knew this wasn’t easy to hear. Especially for someone so young. He knew how comfortable and easy life with the humans could look.

And he knew, deep down, that Levi was probably right. Not all humans were cruel, there would be a lot less happy dogs in the world if they were. But how long would it take them to find a decent human? One try? Two? Ten?

Humans could be violent, and even the possibility of putting Levi in harm’s way left a sour taste in Kenny’s mouth.

“My mom…did she ever…did they make her…?”

Kenny’s gut twisted. He cleared his throat. “No. She never fought. They were…different, with her. We’ll talk about it when you’re older.”

Levi must have been afraid of what Kenny was going to say, because he nodded once in agreement, no longer in the mood to argue, and moved to press himself against Kenny’s leg.

“C’mon, you need to sleep.” Kenny nudged him again, carefully lying back down. He didn’t complain when Levi tucked his nose into his neck, pressing his body against his chest.

Levi shivered once. Kenny curled his body around him, resting his muzzle on Levi’s back gently.

In the morning, he would go find something to pad the bottom of the burrow with. He would find a way to keep them dry and warm. In the morning, he would take Levi back to the pizza parlor and hunt rats until the owner rewarded them with fresh meat and cool water, and they would gorge on their kills and their reward until they were too full to move.

He’d do whatever he had to do to show Levi that this life wasn’t bad. He’d do what he could to make him happy.

He’d do what was needed to keep him safe.

 

** Sometimes the Best Thing for Them, Isn’t You **

Kenny was running out of options.

Levi had been feeling off for several days, whining that he was cold even when the sun was beating down on them, trembling on his paws when they went out in search of food, sleeping so much that Kenny was beginning to wonder if he was trying to hibernate.

Now he was throwing up. His small form was hunched over pitifully, entire body trembling as he heaved for the third time in fifteen minutes. Nothing came up, his stomach had emptied itself last night, and Kenny could barely get him to drink water before the next wave of nausea would crash over him. He’d left to relieve himself early that morning, and Kenny had smelt blood in the air when he’d returned.

Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

Levi whined, the sound weak and vulnerable enough to make Kenny’s heart clench painfully.

This wasn’t a cold, this wasn’t an odd seasonal sickness.

This was bad. This was dangerous.

This wasn’t something Kenny couldn’t fix.

He knew what he had to do; but still he hesitated.

If he did this…there was no going back…

Levi let out a pained little howl, and Kenny gently nuzzled at his back, trying and failing to comfort him. When Levi turned to look at him, there was fear and pain, but also trust. Deep, complete trust. Levi trusted Kenny to help him, to get him through this, to make everything be okay.

Kenny’s heart clenched again.

 

It was almost dark when Kenny broke.

Levi was in a haze, lying limp on the ground, his stomach still spasming as it rolled through wave after wave of nausea. A low, almost constant whine sounded from his chest, and he was barely responsive when Kenny nudged at him.

There were no other options.

Kenny picked him up by the scruff, noting how much he’d grown since the first time he had pulled him from a den, and headed into town, silently telling himself that this was the right thing to do.

 

There were still lights on in the building.

Kenny carefully set Levi down on the worn welcome mat, nuzzling him gently when he gave a pitiful cry.

“These are some of the good humans, Levi,” he murmured, “They’ll help you.”

Levi’s eyelids fluttered. A confused sound escaped from between his teeth.

Kenny nosed at him one more time, breathing his scent deep into his nose, before standing straight once more.

His howl shattered the quiet stillness, and he heard at least two voices shout in surprise as he raked his claws quickly against the shut door. Then there were footsteps rushing toward him, getting closer and closer, and quick, worried voices.

He turned and ran just before the door opened, darting around the corner of the building and peering out just enough to see Levi, still lying where he’d left him.

The door opened in an instant. A young human, with long black hair pulled back into a bun and wide green eyes, stepped out, her gaze quickly drawn down when nothing appeared directly in front of her.

A shocked gasp escaped her, and Kenny watched as she immediately knelt down to scoop Levi in to her arms. She looked around wildly, as if expecting someone to materialize and claim the weak puppy she held. No one appeared.

She disappeared back inside, yelling for the veterinarian. The door slammed shut behind her.

Kenny swallowed hard and crept out from behind the building. He could hear muffled talking from inside as the humans rushed to treat Levi. He couldn’t help but flinch when he heard a scared cry.

_He needs their help._

And he knew he was right. Knew that this is what Levi needed.

He would get treatment, and be healed. Then they would take him to a pound and put up his picture, and someone would try to find him a home…

Kenny needed to leave. If he lingered much longer he would get caught. But he couldn’t bring himself to move.

_Humans can be cruel._

_But not every human is like that! Some humans have to be good, right?_

He inhaled slowly.

This is what Levi needed. Kenny had taught him everything he needed to know to survive. He could hunt, he could scavenge, and he could fight.

There was nothing else Kenny could do.

 

The burrow seemed too big without Levi in it. Kenny hesitated by the opening, unable to bring himself to venture inside. It smelled like him.

Kenny made his way back into town, walking slowly down the sidewalks with his head lowered, ears back.

He didn’t try to tell himself that he’d see Levi again. The town was large, holding at least three different pounds and thousands of people. Now that Levi was part of that system, it would be extremely difficult to track him down.

The moon was high overhead when Kenny finally found a place to settle for the night. An old mattress tucked in an alley made for a good bed, hidden from prying eyes. Kenny curled up on top of it, his chin settled between his paws.

Levi was strong. Levi was a fighter. And once he got healthy again, he could decide what he wanted to do.

Kenny closed his eyes.

_I wasn’t meant to be a parent anyway…_

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr](http://chills-of-fire.tumblr.com/)   
> [My Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/chillsoffire/)


End file.
